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Democratization and Military Reform in the Philippines
itself a sign of the political power of AFP officers. The AFP
played a key role in removing Marcos from power; simply
withdrawing their support was enough to leave him nearly
defenseless against protestors after the fraudulent 1986
election. However, this only compounded the problem that
Marcos started. The ranks were already packed with officers
used to acting based on personal ties, but the transition to
democracy allowed them to feel a greater sense of influence
over the political sphere. They had a positive role insofar as
the intervention made the country more democratic, but it
established a dangerous precedent. In the years following
Aquino’s ascension, officers’ new sense of entitlement led
them to attempt at least seven attempted coups between
July 1986 and December 1989 (Thompson, 1995; 168).
Subsequent presidents have also found it difficult to ensure
their own safety against the forces that are supposed to
protect national interest. On July 27, 2003, an attempt to
remove President Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from power
showed how fragile the country’s democracy still is.
Since Marcos, presidents have tried to eliminate the
promotion based on loyalty system, but have only succeeded
in moderating and displacing it (Croissant, 2009). Now, every
officer ranked colonel or above is appointed by the president
and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. Like
any confirmation process, this one has a tendency to
eliminate some of the best candidates because of their
unpopularity among those who make the final judgments.
“Nomination may have been based on the political judgment
of professional peers, but confirmation was strictly political”
(Wurfel, 1991; 80). Not only does the politicized army
threaten to destabilize the government, it also diverts the
attention of top commanders from military operations and
these are in desperate need of reconsideration.
Finally, the Philippine Armed Forces have not been very
effective in combating the guerrillas. Most units lack the
capacity to perform raids deep into the jungle as such
missions require a level of unit cohesion, morale, and
initiative among the lower ranks that is undermined by
corruption and the mutual mistrust that it creates between
officers and their subordinates. Even under martial law, the
AFP and Philippine Constabulary were far too weak to
control the entire country. When Marcos declared martial
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